As players get older and face tougher competition, strength, speed, and agility can be the aspects of a player’s game that give them the edge over their competitors. Strength and conditioning allow an athlete to increase their athleticism, endurance, and explosiveness in comprehensively advantageous ways. Training strength and speed will work to increase mobility, balance, and acceleration, stabilize joints, and decrease injuries. By training each individual muscle, the athlete will be able to accelerate quicker and maintain longer endurance. In many sports, speed is crucial. A conditioning coach will teach the athlete the right way to maximize their agility and speed.
Reducing Injury Risks
No athlete wants to be injured. Strength training helps athletes decrease their chances of getting injured. Every sport has different muscles that are most effective to train for injury prevention. Sports strength trainers know which muscle groups are most important to train and improve. Muscle imbalances become very common when an athlete is unsure of what to train for. A muscle imbalance is when certain groups of muscles are significantly stronger than their opposing group. Since weaker muscle groups cannot match the strength of other muscles, it leads to compensation from the stronger muscles, often resulting in overuse and injury.
Improving Body Alignment
Strength training significantly improves body alignment. With proper body alignment, an athlete can withstand high physical activity. Without correct alignment, muscles and tendons will not work together in unison. Strength training helps create great body alignment through training fluid movements, which overall reduces injury.
Enhancing Balance
One of the main jobs of a strength and conditioning coach is to improve an athlete’s balance. Balance is not just about standing on one foot without falling; it includes landing in awkward positions off of a rebound, maintaining speed with a soccer ball while being pushed by an opponent, or diving to perfectly hit a tennis ball. Balance is crucial in every area of sports. Drills that a strength coach may use to improve balance include pistol squats, single-leg RDLs, and lateral hops.
Boosting Speed and Conditioning
In many sports, like basketball, soccer, or lacrosse, conditioning and speed significantly contribute to a team’s success. Athletes who can move faster than the opposing team have an advantage. For example, a faster soccer player will win possession of an open ball. In basketball, training short bursts of speed from 5 to 30 yards, mixed with some endurance training, improves speed in transition and reduces fatigue during a game.
High School and Beyond
Once players reach high school and competition increases, working out with a strength and conditioning coach is highly recommended. Athletes will likely improve their athleticism, play more games or matches throughout the year, and be less susceptible to injury due to improved endurance. The good news is that Athletes Untapped is here to help. You can find a private strength and speed coach on our platform and start taking lessons today: Athletes Untapped.
